Chapter 3 – Crazy Angel
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Sorry for the wait and the shorter length…it is still 6 pages though! I hope you enjoy the chapter, please leave a review! They are my motivation.
Crazy Angel – Kill Hannah
So serious I've got to take you home again tonight,
'Cos right now you paralyze me with your smile.
As your wings discard their feathers on the ground,
I see a halo, up above you.
My crazy angel.
My crazy angel.
I hold on so hard,
And pray that I won't say something wrong.
I look at the stars,
And dream that the universe was ours,
My crazy angel.
…
"Cas, the thing is, um...there is no easy way to say this. That was a ghost."
Yes, I am insane. Barking mad. I wonder if they will lock me up in a white padded room, chain me to a bed or something. I guess it won't make much difference either way… I should be used to it by now, I have spent enough time being locked away to adjust.
"Castiel, are you with me? Can you hear me Cas?" Dean knelt down next to Castiel, who had slumped to the ground and was mumbling something about being mad.
"You're not mad Cas, I promise you. I'm so sorry but that was real, she was a ghost, a real ghost. You are not imagining things. All those things that you thought went bump in the night when you were a kid, well they are real and they do. Monsters, witches, vampires, werewolves…you name it…psycho clowns!" Dean's attempt at humour went down like a led balloon and Castiel continued to look shell shocked. Carefully Dean edged forward and pulled Cas into a gentle hug, pulling back immediately when Cas let out a small shriek and flinched away. Dean didn't have a clue what to do.
Sam, who had managed roll back onto his front and then stand, hobbled over to Bobby, who was sitting up and looking rather disheveled.
"Hey Bobby, you ok?"
"M'fine. Where's my hat?"
"Here…" Sam passed Bobby his cap and helped the older hunter up with one hand. They both turned to look at Cas and Dean, who were bent down on the floor.
"Shit, are they hurt?"
"I don't think so…ghost was too busy kicking our asses to get to them as well."
"But why…" Sam cut off when he got close enough to hear Cas' frantic words and Dean's futile attempts to calm the younger boy down.
"That's not true, it can't be true. There's no such thing. I'm mad, this is mad…this isn't real."
"It is!" Exasperation was beginning to seep into his voice, merging with desperation to create an almost pleading tone.
"Not real…not real."
"I'm sorry but it is. You have to listen to me Cas, I understand that you're scared and I understand if you don't want to have anything to do with us anymore, but ghosts are real and there is one haunting this car park that we need to sort out."
Sam carefully made his way over, being careful not to make any loud noises as he settled down next to Castiel and placed a gentle hand on his back, once again making Castiel flinch away from the human contact.
"Cas, Dean's right. He's telling the truth. It's what we do…how we found you. We heard rumors that there was a ghost haunting the cottage, screaming and we came to check it out. Obviously you weren't a ghost and we haven't been hunting since cos we've been looking after you, but this case needed to be sorted. A woman died here because of that ghost." Castiel stood back up and took a few steps away from Dean and Sam, looking terrified.
"This isn't true. This is God's punishment for what I have done. He's made me mad, put demons and the Devil's thoughts in my head to torture and confuse me."
"No he didn't Cas, that's not true. You know it isn't. You don't deserve to be punished at all."
"I do. I'm a bad person."
"Cas!"
"Get away from me…you're not real. You're a figment of my imagination. You're too perfect to be real, nothing good ever happens to me, I made you up in my head to keep me company, to protect myself from the outside world and everything I have done wrong."
"Castiel!" Bobby decided that it was his turn to try and convince Castiel that this was real but Castiel just seemed to withdraw further into himself.
"Lucifer drove me mad; I'm having a psychotic breakdown. I probably never left the inside of that wall; maybe I'll wake up and find that Lucifer just hit me on the head really hard. Yes, that's what happened."
"Cas, look at me. Look at me, please." Dean took a few steps over to Castiel and finally managed to grasp the younger man's arm.
"Look into my eyes Cas. I'm real. This isn't fake." Castiel blinked up at Dean and felt himself begin to doubt his previous suspicions.
"Really?"
"Really." Dean slid his leather jacket off and draped it over Cas' shoulders and pulled Cas' head into his chest, allowing the younger man to breathe in his familiar scent and listen to his steady heartbeat, hugging him tight.
"See, I'm real Cas."
"Y-yes." Dean let out a sigh of relief and gently rubbed circles on Cas' back smiling softly when he felt Castiel's body relax and melt into him.
"There we go Cas, it's all going to be ok. Everything's alright."
"I know."
"Cas, that ghost…"
"I understand."
"It's just; I think you should know everything. Our Dad was a hunter, and our grandparents. Saving people, hunting things, it's the family business. We need to finish off this job, but you can stay at Bobby's and we will drop you off wherever you want to go. We can get you a place, I'm sure Bobby can organize the money, or we can send you to England to live with your brothers of you prefer."
"What?"
"Well, you don't want to stay do you?"
"Of course I do, I mean-if you-um, if I can."
"Well of course you can stay, it's just, this lifestyle. There's no going back."
"I want to become a hunter, like you. I can be your third wheel." The look of hope in Cas' eyes was heart breaking and Dean immediately nodded. He couldn't say no, he just couldn't. Instead, he gently placed a couple of fingers under Cas' chin and tilted his head, planting a gentle kiss on Cas' soft lips.
"You have to understand Cas, with this life, you have to leave everything behind. Otherwise there is just too much to loose."
"The only thing I have to loose is you." Castiel looked away shyly, aware that Bobby and Sam were hovering awkwardly behind them.
"Alright lovebirds, shall we get the hell out of here before this ghost comes back. We need to get on with some research and find out where the hell the body is." Cas looked slightly puzzled, well, very puzzled.
"We need to salt and burn the bones; it stops the ghost from comin back. Sends it off to wherever monsters go."
"You mean purgatory?" Dean, Sam and Bobby exchanged a look. They had never really given purgatory a thought.
"Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, let's head out."
The four men turned and made their way back to their respective vehicles, Bobby going the journey alone whilst Cas joined Sam and Dean in the Impala. They all went through the motions of small talk whilst Dean drove, singing along to one of Dean's rock cassettes until they pulled up Bobby's drive.
"Right, looks like we've got some research to do. Let's find out who the stiff is, I'm in the mood for a bit of a bonfire." Dean swung his legs out of the car and entered Bobby's first, grabbing four beers and slumping down in the lounge. He hated research, but hopefully they would find out who the son of a bitch was before nightfall so they could salt and burn the body that night and head out the next morning.
Hours of 'research' later Dean was staring morosely into his empty beer bottle.
"What do you mean that was your last pack?"
"I mean you've had enough if we are going on a hunt tonight." Bobby shot Dean a stern look, the boy was drinking far too much these days, since John died.
"But, I'm not even drunk."
"Yeah, exactly. Anymore and you will be…think of Castiel." Bobby added the last bit as a whisper, motioning to the man who was curled up on his side, fast asleep with his head resting on Dean's lap.
"What about him?"
"Just think, Lucifer was an abusive drunk, what the hell is Cas going to think if you go and get pissed on a regular basis."
"Fine, you win." Dean slumped back and raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Good."
"Sam, you found anythin yet?"
"Nope."
"Dean?"
"Nada, yourself?"
"Not hide nor hair of the son of a bitch."
"Great."
"Balls." The three hunters elapsed back into silence, Dean flicking through a book so fast that Sam was convinced he couldn't be taking in a single word, Bobby rummaging through one of his old journals and Sam surfing the internet on his beloved laptop.
It wasn't until another hour had passed that Sam finally let out a cry of triumph.
"Got her." Janice Lakey, was killed in a hit and run seventy two years ago.
"So why is the dumb bitch haunting a car park. That's the one place where cars don't do much moving; surely she should haunt a motorway or something."
"Because, dumbass, the road she was hit on used to run through that car park. The office blocks were constructed when the muddy, potholed old road was bypassed and replaced with some shiny new tarmac. She is haunting the place where she died, obviously a ghost wasn't considered in the planning permission for that place."
"That still doesn't answer why she killed that other poor woman."
"Ah, I may have an answer to that one."
"What?" Bobby chucked a newspaper over to Dean, who caught it with one hand and read the headline.
Five Year Old Killed In Hit And Run Accident.
"Well, I guess that explains that one, she's haunting people who are a liability on the road which replaced her death place…cheery, she was clearly a sentimental bitch."
"Well, Julia did kill some kid."
"Hmm, but we still can't have a ghost running, well, floating about here. Where's she buried?"
"I don't know. Dean, why don't you look it up, I'm grabbing a sandwich before we head out."
"Fine, I will." Dean huffed and began to stab the laptop keys. God he hated research.
"Find her?" Sam came back into the room with a tray full of sandwiches.
"Ahh, thank you domestic goddess! Yeah, she resting in peace, well pieces in the local cemetery. It's only two miles from here."
"Seriously, when is our life ever that easy?"
"Yeah, well, don't complain. I'm putting that in the ain't broke column."
"Whatever, it's nearly nine, wanna head out at twelve?"
"Sure thing. I'm gonna hit the sack for a bit, while I can." Dean was about to stand when he remembered that Cas was still fast asleep on his lap.
"Or not…" Dean shuffled a little, pausing when Cas let out a small moan and finally found a comfortable position, wedging a couple of cushions under his stiff neck.
Two and a half hours later Dean was being woken up by Sam shaking his shoulder.
"Wake up man."
"Wha? Ok, ok. I'm up, god, chill." Dean wiped the sleep from his eyes and glared at Sam. Would a gentle tap on the arm have been too much to ask for?
"You wake Cas, I've packed everything up."
"Bossy bitch."
"Jerk."
"Cas, wake up Cas." Dean gingerly stroked Cas' forehead and watched as Cas stirred, raising both his hands defensively to block his head and stomach from attack.
"Chill man, just me."
"Dean?"
"Yep, we need to head out to get that ghost. You can stay here if you prefer."
"No chance." Castiel sat himself up, rubbed his eyes and stood, freeing Dean and allowing the hunter to get to his feet as well.
"Right, let's go then."
Dean grabbed his duffel and met up with Sam and Bobby in the hallway, Cas lurking a few steps behind him.
"Let's hit the road, time for a nice romantic date at the graveyard Cas, how'd ya fancy it?"
"Was that sarcasm?"
"Uh, yes Cas, yeah it was."
"Oh, good." Bobby and Sam exchanged an amused glance before following the unlikely couple out of the door. It was strange seeing Cas' skinny figure, drowning in his beige trench coat, next to Dean, who was broad and muscular.
By the time the four reached the graveyard it was five past midnight and as sod's law would have it, it was pouring down with rain.
"So, it doesn't rain here for a week, and yet as soon as we have to spend time outdoors, it starts to rain. I bet you anything god is sitting up on some cloud peeing on us, or just crying with laughter at how much our lives suck!"
"Dean! Blasphemy is a sin!"
"And according to some people, so is gay sex."
"I am sure that God is utterly indifferent to your sexual orientation, or mine for that matter. What difference does it make whether a man loves another man, or a woman another woman. Love is love."
"Yeah, I agree. Obviously, that wasn't what I was getting at. Ah well, lets get this over and done with."
Sam was the one to find the grave, waving his torch around and yelling at the others to get their attention.
"I've got her."
"Finally." Dean jogged over to his brother, pulling his sodden leather jacket tighter around himself to try and keep in a little bit of warmth. It didn't work. Soon he and Sam were up to their chests in mud He began to dig with gusto, making Sam smirk.
"You call me a girl, are you worried of getting your hair wet Deanna?"
"Shut it bitch, I'm freezing my ass off!"
"Sure you are."
"What-ha, got it." Dean's shovel made a loud clanging noise when it hit the wood of Janice's coffin.
After a quick round of rock paper scissors, with Dean inevitably choosing scissors, being beaten by Sam's rock, the older Winchester was hauling the lid off the coffin with a grim expression and with a disturbed looking Cas and an indifferent Bobby watching over him.
"Sorry love, but it really isn't cold and I think you can make me nice n' toasty soon."
"Dean, you're talking to a skeleton."
"Yeah, and you used to talk to your teddy bear, so we're even."
"Get on with it!"
"Almost done, this one has been as easy as pie."
"Don't speak too soon."
"Whatever."
Dean began pouring gasoline all over the body, singing Audioslave's Gasoline as he did so. Castiel couldn't believe the situation he was in. He may not be crazy, but the situation certainly was!
House is haunted; I just want to go for a ride, out and on, before I set this room alight.
Left alone, forever, and for crimes unclear,
With my patience gone, someone take me far from here. Yeah.
Burning that gasoline, yeah. Burning that gasoline.
"Dean, give me a break and shut the hell up."
"Bitch."
Sam was about to respond with the usual reply of jerk when he was thrown into the air. Great, what was Dean saying about easy and pie?!
Sorry this is shorter than usual but I have been soooooo busy :( I hope you enjoyed it anyway, please leave any suggestions for what you want to happen in a review. Reviews are my life and they mean A LOT!